The charming west of Cuba

Arrival in Havana

Upon arrival, a transfer will be waiting to take you to your accommodation. After checking in the rest of the day is free for you to explore the city on your own.

Havana must be one of the most exciting cities in the world. It is intriguing and unique. Your accommodation in Havana for the tour will be in Old Havana. The neighbourhoods of Old Havana are some of the places where you will feel Cuba in its most intense way, narrow streets with old crumbling buildings and full of locals who are not placed there for tourists but because this is their home.

Vedado is another interesting part of Havana where there is a concentration of restaurants, bars, majestic mansions, and historic mafia-built hotels. Simply wandering the streets will give you a new experience and fill you with many questions about how Cuba functions as a country.

Havana walking tour

Today after breakfast, your guide will be waiting for you for a walking tour of the city.

This guided tour includes a visit to the Plaza San Francisco de Asís and its beautiful Fountain of the Lions, the Old Square, the Plaza de Armas where the Palace of the General Captains and the Cathedral Square are located. Continue to the Havana Club Rum Museum, where you will learn about the history of sugar cane and the process of making the well-known Cuban rum.

We will pause for lunch and in the afternoon, we will continue exploring the city. There are many good museums to visit, such as the Museo de la Revolución (Museum of the Revolution), which is housed in the former Presidential Palace, and the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes (Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes), or just strolling along the Malecón, the boardwalk that runs along the coast.

The evening is at leisure: you can opt to rest, dine in one of the many private restaurants (paladares) to enjoy the local cuisine, or go out to move your hips to the rhythm of Cuban music, in the cabarets, nightclubs and discos that abound in the city.

Viñales

Today we have an early breakfast to leave for Viñales. Arrive in Los Jazmines Viewpoint. Enjoy a unique area of natural beauty with underground rivers, caves and Mogotes. Taste a cocktail. Visit Mural de la Prehistoria (a 120m-long painting, on the of Mogote) and the Indian Cave.

In the afternoon, transfer to Bogotá airport to fly south to Neiva. Drive to your hotel and spend the evening as you like.

Then we go to your accommodation to check in. Viñales is a small village rich in culture, with friendly and welcoming residents. That would be the right time to enjoy a typical lunch in one the many private restaurants in the area.

In the afternoon there are many activities to participate in: take a walk through the countryside to enjoy the breath-taking outdoors or explore caves, hike, ride a bike, ride a horse, or simply enjoy the views of the valley and the extensive tobacco fields.

The evening is free to spend as you like. Nightlife is very active in this town with residents more than participants willing to dance to live local music.

Travel to Cienfuegos

After having breakfast, we will leave early in the morning. Today the longest road trip of the entire route awaits us, approximately 5 hours.

We pass through Havana towards the city of Cienfuegos, through the swamps of the dense vegetated Zapata Peninsula, and along the beautiful Bay of Pigs. This is where the landing of the counterrevolutionary militia in exile in 1961 occurred. We will make a stop along the way to stretch our legs and have lunch.

Cienfuegos is “La Perla del Sur” (the Pearl of the South), a coastal city of relaxing streets and dazzling buildings that strike a beautiful pose by the water. Founded in 1819 by pioneering French immigrants, the graceful architectural influence brought by these settlers earned the city a UNESCO World Heritage Site list in 2005.

In the afternoon we will spend a half day unveiling the secrets of Cienfuegos city, in a walking city tour and will head to the Parque Jose Marti, where you can visit the stunning Thomas Terry Theatre, one of the oldest and most beautiful in Cuba. Other notable monuments include the Arc de Triomphe, the Cathedral, and the eye-catching Casa Provincial de la Cultura (Provincial Centre of Culture).

After the tour we will arrive at your place of accommodation to check in. The evening is free for you to spend at your leisure. One suggestion to consider, enjoy a photo stop at the Palacio del Valle, which is the architectural pride and joy of Cienfuegos. Learn more about its history while admiring the beauty of its intricate Venetian alabaster carvings, and if you wish, why not go up to the rooftop for a drink at sunset?

Cienfuegos to Trinidad

After breakfast, we will visit a cigar factory in the city of Cienfuegos, where you can learn about the cigar rolling process and the history of the famous Habanos cigars.

After this visit we will return to the bus to move to Trinidad. No other colonial city in Cuba is so well preserved, and the residents are extremely friendly and festive. Trinidad is steeped in religiosity, one of which is Santería, which is one of several Afro-Cuban religions. Upon arrival, you will go directly to your accommodation to check in.

The rest of the day is free, you can stroll through the streets of Trinidad and travel back in time while you walk through its colonial streets. What visitors to Trinidad like the most is the nightlife. There are no less than 10 live music venues, all within walking distance. Many of these have beautiful outdoor settings, in courtyards, and within the walls of old colonial ruins.

Trinidad

Start your morning with some Cuban coffee, served black, strong, and super sweet, then head downtown. Trinidad is a great place to wander around, with almost all the scenes offering a photo opportunity. Watch as the locals casually smoke their huge cigars on the doorstep of their houses and start strolling the cobbled streets and marvel at the colourful colonial architecture on display, this city is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Finish your walk savouring the refreshing Canchánchara cocktail, in the renowned bar of the same name.

In the afternoon, visit the Valle de los Ingenios (Valley of the Sugar Mills), one of the largest sugar-producing regions in the world at the time. This valley had around 50 mills in operation during peak production periods in the late 18th and 19th centuries. More than 11,000 slaves worked in the mills in 1827. The Manaca Iznaga Tower is part of a farm located in this Valley. Climb the tower for great views of the lush countryside.

Trinidad to Santa Clara... and Havana

Be ready for an early trip back to Havana. On your way back to Havana, you will stop in Santa Clara to visit the Che Guevara Mausoleum and Monument, where you can get a rare glimpse of the revolutionary leader's legacy. Che's remains were brought to rest here after they were found in a remote corner of Bolivia in 1997.

After having lunch in Santa Clara, we will continue our trip to Havana. Upon arrival, we will go to your accommodation to check in.

The rest of the day is free for your enjoyment. Take the opportunity to discover more about the city's nightlife or plan a dinner in one of the city's trendy restaurants.

Goodbye Cuba

Your tour ends today. After breakfast, the day is free. A transfer will pick you up at the appropriate time to transfer you to the airport to take your departure flight.